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Tennis or Tinnīs (, ) was a medieval city in Egypt which no longer exists. It was most prosperous from the 9th century to the 11th century until its abandonment. It was located at 31°12′N 32°14′E, on an island in Lake Manzala, southwest of Port Said.
The 11th-century traveller Nasir Khusraw, who visited the city during the Fatimid Caliphate, reported that it was densely populated, with 50,000 inhabitants, 10,000 shops and two large . The population, mostly Christian Copts, were employed in weaving textiles which could fetch enormous prices: a simple linen garment could be sold for a hundred , more elaborate ones fetched prices in the thousands. The state thus tightly regulated the production and sale of these textiles, which resulted in enormous proceeds for the Fatimid treasury. The specialty of Tinnis were dyed garments, especially of the type called , spun from sea silk.
Fishing was a large part of the local culture, as it provided majority of the city's food supply. They had various boats, including fishing boats, shrimp-catchers boats, and carp-catchers boats of all sizes that would gather several types of fish like perch, catfish, eel, crab, herring, dolphins, tuna, or shark. There would also be boats were dedicated to catching birds, which could be consumed or exported. These birds were presumptively migrating, which allowed for them to be plump. Some of the birds that were caught included bats, robins, turtledoves, cranes, Egyptian vultures, geese, crows, owls, duck, and pelicans. The people of Tinnis also relief on grains throughout the year, including wheat, barley, and legumes. There were 160 mills that were used to grind, husk, and knead the grains throughout the year.
Tinnis had a prosperous market, with numerous large markets for merchants. There were over 2,500 shops, with 150 shops that specialized in textiles. Tinnīs had five-thousand weaving looms, which employed over ten thousand workers. Special textiles were also made such as woven gilded clothes, velvet, and silken cloth embroidered with gold, would be used for numerous applications, including as headdresses, sofas, chairs, canopies, and curtains.
The people of Tinnīs primarily practiced Islam, with 167 prayer areas and mosques with minarets reported around the city. There were also 72 churches that were used by Christians in Tinnīs. However, they were persecuted under al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1012–1013. The churches were then destroyed and replaced with mosques.
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